Selig Says No To San Jose Mayor's Meeting Request Over A's Desired Move

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig has responded to a letter sent to him by San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, shooting down Reed's request for a "personal meeting to resolve issues holding up the Oakland A's desired move to his city," according to John Woolfolk of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. Selig also addressed Reed's claim of "additional litigation" over the proposed move by saying that such action is "neither productive nor consistent with process that the Athletics have initiated under our rules." The commissioner noted that the blue-panel committee he appointed "more than four years ago to study the A's plan for a downtown San Jose ballpark has been in 'frequent contact' with the city." Reed said that he would "follow the commissioner's suggestion" and try to schedule a meeting with Robert Starkey, a sports consultant and "former accountant who had worked for Selig on stadium issues" for the Twins. Reed added that it was "encouraging to get a response" from Selig (MERCURYNEWS.com, 4/11). Comcast SportsNet Bay Area’s Jim Kozimor noted Reed's actions come as Oakland Mayor Jean Quan “isn’t trying” to keep the team. Kozimor: "Let’s give credit to Chuck Reed. He’s fighting for his community.” But the S.F. Examiner's Glenn Dickey noted Selig is "not going to challenge" the Giants' territorial right to the San Jose market. Dickey: "He knows that the Giants would take him to court. If it goes to court, their anti-trust exemption from 1922 is going to be revisited and dropped. They do not want that” ("Chronicle Live," CSN Bay Area, 4/11).